Window frame corner clip



Sept. 3, 1957 F. NOTHDURFT wmnow FRAME CORNER cu Filed March 9, 1955 6W 5PM ATTOAA IFFS wiNnow FRAME CORNER CLIP Karl F. Nothdurft, Detroit, Mich. Application March 9, 1955, Serial No. 493,279

6 Claims. c1. 189-36) This invention relates to corner assemblies for window or door frames and particularly to a corner member for such frames that covers the line of joinder of the meeting edges of the side and end frame members at the corners of the frames.

In the construction of window or door frames from separate extruded, bent sheet metal, or molded frame members, lines of joinder appear at the corners of the frame at the meeting edges of the frame members. Unless great care is exercised in matching these meeting edges a small crack will appear which will admit both the weather and light through the frame. The crack is particularly undesirable when the window or door frames are sold through retail stores directly to the consuming public because if the average purchaser looks at the corner construction of the frame and observes light passing through/the meeting edges of the jamb and header members, for example, this unfavorably reflects upon the entire construction of the frame. Heretofore provision has been made for covering this crack by providing a metal clip or the like which covers the outside of the frame at the corners thereof. This clip, however, is unattractive because it interrupts the otherwise smooth exterior surface of the frame, and also in time aids in the collection of dirt at the corners of the frame.

Therefore an object of the invention is the provision of a corner member adapted to fit inside the frame and therefore hidden from view after the frame is installed in thewall of a building, and which member will cover the crack between the meeting edges of the side and end members of the frame and prevent the passage of light or weather therethrough.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a corner element or member of the character mentioned which materially increases the strength of the frame at the corners thereof though such element is of light weight, simple construction, and capable of manufacture at an extremely low cost.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a corner element of the character mentioned that is placed in the corner of the frame at the time the frame is assembled and is thereafter held in place along with theother parts of the corner assembly without any special fastening means or provision in the assembly for receiving it.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will more fully appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a corner assembly embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view of a corner assembly and the relationship of my improved corner element to the assembly; and

Paton Fig. 5 is a view of the inside of the assembly with all of the parts in place.

In Fig. 1 I have shown in perspective the inside corner of a window or door frame having a header or end member 10, a jamb or side member 12, an L-shaped angle bracket 14, and my improved frame rigidifying and crack covering element 16. While the corner or angle bracket 14 and my improved member 16 may be integrally formed of one piece, or two pieces secured together as by welding or the like before they are assembled in the corner of the frame, I have shown in the disclosed construction the two pieces as being separate and held in juxtaposed relation by the frame members themselves without any special or additional fastening means other than that normally employed to hold the frames to the bracket 14. This invention does not relate to the frame construction per se but to my improved corner member per se and in combination with the corner assembly of the frame.

Each frame member is of similar construction. Each frame member has an outer wall 18, the surfaces of which have steps 20 and 22 which extend longitudinally of the members and which add both to the strength and appearance of the frame. The wall 18 is also provided with inwardly extending lips 24 and 26 which abut the marginal edge of the window opening in the wall of (the building. Lip 24 may be provided with a hooked edge as at 28 in Fig. 3. The lip 24 extends inwardly of the plane of the frame, and specifically inwardly of the wall 18 thereof, and the hooked edge 28 overlies the wall 18 spaced therefrom.

The frame is also provided with a pair of sash guide runway channels 30 and 32 formed by an inwardly extending wall 34 having a pair of guide channel side walls 36 and 38 extending into the plane of the window opening. The wall 34 is also provided with a deformable lip or ledge 40 having a hooked edge 42. The lip 40 with its hooked edge forms a channel opening toward the opposed wall 18 of the frame member. The step 20 in the outer wall 18 forms with the'inwardly extending wall 34 another channel 35 which is opposed to the channel formed by the lip 40 and hooked edge 42. These opposed channels are adapted to receive the angularly related legs of the corner bracket 14.

The corner bracket 14, which may also be termed an angle bracket, is formed of relatively stilt material and is provided along opposite edges with notches or recesses 44, into which recesses or notches the lip 40 and hooked edge 42 thereof are crimped to hold the bracket securely in the bracket receiving channels of the frame members as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The crimped portions of the lip 40 and the hooked edge 42 are indicated at 46 in Figs. 7

l, 2, and 5. By means of these crimps the frame members are held securely to the angle bracket 14 to form a rigid window or door frame.

The meeting edges 48 of the frame members are cut on a 45 degree diagonal and meet along the line of joinder 50. My improved corner element is adapted to overlie this line of joinder 50 and prevent the entrance of weather or the like through the frame at the corner throughout a substantial portion of the length of the line 50. The meeting edges 48 of the frames are generally tightly juxtaposed at the inside and outside corners of the frame members, and when a crack appears between these meeting edges, it is intermediate these inside and outside corners and in the area of the frame members over which my improved element lies.

My improved element 16 may be formed of resilient sheet metal material, such as sheet aluminum or an alloy thereof, and is generally plate-like in shape. It is provided with a pair of angularly related arm portions 49 and 51 each of which is generally L-shaped in cross section with one leg of such L shape being indicated at 52 and the other leg at54. The leg *52 is'shapedto definea stepped or beaded portion 56 which extends longitudinally of the leg and throughout the length of the element, and aflat planar marginal portion '58; T he step '56 is. adapted to complement the step 22 of the framemembers. Legs 54 of the 'angularlyrelated arms are diagonally cutjas at 59 so that the inside corner'of the elementwill'fit closely to. the outside corner ofthc a lgle'bracket 15'as shown in Figs. '1 and -5. The step 56,flin addition to conforming to the-element to fit thestepped surface of the outer wall 18 of the frame members, also serves to materially rigidify-the element 16. Y

The angular relationship between the margin "58 of each leg ofeach armof the element and the oppositely disposed leg 54 is 'somewhat'greater than 90 degrees so that when the corner element is fastened-inthe corner of the frame, the margin 58 is tensioned against the outer wall 18 of the frame members. For example, in'Fig. 2, the margin 58 of the corner element istensioned against the'outer wall 18 of the frame. This tensioni-ng of the margin 58 not only serves to retain the element in place at the corner of the frame, but also serves to'better seal the-corner element 'against'the frame member and prevent the entry of weather through the crack between the meeting edges 48 of the frame members.

The corner element is installed in the frame at the time the frame members and corner bracket 14 are secured together. As shown in Fig. 3 there is sufiicient spacing between the lip 40 and hooked edge 42 and the opposed wall 18 of the frame members to permit the entry of the corner element 16 at the time the frame members and corner bracket are assembled. With my improved corner element in place juxtaposing both the corner bracket 14 and the outer wall 18 of the frame members, and with the frame members'urged together at their meeting edges 48, the lip 40 and hooked edge 42 .are then crimped into the recesses or notches 44 in the angle bracket. The crimped portions 46 of the lip extend far enough into the notches to engage the edges .60 of thelegs 54 of the corner element to urge .the element forcibly against the outer walls v18 of the frame members, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the element 16 is seated against the outer wall of the frame'members between the step .22 and the corner bracket,1and also overlies :the line of joinder 50 of the meeting edges .of the frame members, with the outer edge of :the element-engaged beneath the hooked edge 28 of the lip 24. .The steps 22 and 56 of the frame members and the corner element, respectively, cooperate with the crimped portions 46 to retain the corner elementin place,with the edge 62 of the corner element underlying the hooked edge 28 of lip 24.

In order that the crimped portions 46 willhold .my improved element 16 in place, a certain dimensional relationship must exist between the height of leg 54 and the recesses or notches 44 in the angle bracket.

The upper edge 60 of legs 54 must lie adjacent the bottom of the notches 44 in the angle bracket so that when the crimped portions 46 are forced into the notches, the hooked edge 46 of the lip 40 will overlie the edge 60 and the leg 54 of the element and hold it in place. Also, the distance from the leg 54 to the outer margin of the element at 62 must be such that edge 62 will lie inside the lip 24;

What I claim is:

1. In a corner assembly for a window frame or the like having a pair of angularly related frame members meeting along juxtaposed edges and provided with a pair of opposed corner bracket receiving channels on the inside of the frame members, an angular corner bracket having one leg received in each pair of channels of the frame members, a plate-like corner element having angularly related arm portions each generally 'L-shaped in cross sectionto overliethe framemembersadjacent the corner 7 bracket and cover the line of joinder of meeting edges of the frame members and only'the legs of the corner bracket, and means securing the angle bracket and corner element against each other and to the frame members.

2. A corner assembly for a window frame comprising, in combination: a pair of angularly related frame members meeting along juxtaposed edges and each provided with an outer wall portion and an inwardly extending wall portion, said outer and inwardly extending wall portions of each frame member defining therebetween a pair of opposed corner bracket receiving channels, an L-shaped corner bracket having notches along an edge ofeach leg thereof with the legs received in said channels of the frame members, a plate-like corner elment having angularly related arms each generally L-shaped in cross section, one leg of each L-shaped arm overlying the inside surface of the outer wall portion of the frame members and covering the meeting edges thereof with the other leg .of each arm overlying the corner bracket adjacent said notches, said frame members being crimped into the notches of .the corner bracket and overlying the last mentioned leg of said element to secure the element and bracket to the frame members.

3. A corner assembly for a window frame comprising, in combination: a pair of angularly related frame members meeting along juxtaposed edges and each provided with an outer wall portion and an inwardly extending wall portion, said outer and inwardly extending wall portions of each frame member defining therebetween a pair of opposed corner bracket receiving channels, an L-shaped corner bracket having notches along an edge of each leg thereof with the legs received in ,said channels of the frame members, a plate-like corner element having angularly related arms each generally L-shaped in cross section, one'leg of each L-shaped arm overlying the inside surface of the outer wall portion of the frame members and covering the meeting edges thereof with its outer edge in abutment with an upstanding lip on the inner surface of the outer wall portion and with the other leg of each arm overlying the corner bracket adjacent said notches, said frame members being crimped into the notchesof the corner bracket and overlying the last mentioned leg of said element to secure the element and bracket .to the frame members, and the legs of each arm of the platelike corner element being tensioned away fiom-each other and toward the frame members and the corner bracket.

4. A corner assembly for a window frame comprising,

in combination: ,a pair of angularlyrelated frame members meeting along juxtaposed edges and eachprovided with an outer wall portion and .an inwardly extending wall portion, said outer, and inwardly extending wall portions of each frame member defining therebetweena pair of opposed corner bracket receiving channels, the inside surface of ,theouterwall of each frame member provided with an inwardly extending hooked lip spaced from said inwardly extending wall portion of the frame member, an

7 L-shaped corner bracket having notches along an edge of each leg thereof with the legs received in said channels of the frame members, a plate-like corner element having angularly related arms each generally L-shaped in cross section, one leg of each L-shaped arm overlying the inside surface of the outer wall portion of the frame members and coveringthe meeting edges thereof with the edge of such leg received beneath said hooked lip of the frame members and with the other leg of each arm overlying the corner bracket adjacent said notches, said frame members being crimped into the notches of the corner bracket bracket receiving channels adjacent the inwardly extending wall portion and a lip on the inner surface of the outer wall portion extending longitudinally of each frame member spaced outwardly from the inwardly extending wall portion, a generally L-shaped corner bracket for each corner of the frame having an arm received Within each pair of opposed channels, a plate-like resilient element for each corner of the frame having angularly related arm portions each generally L-shapedr in cross section with one of the legs of each L-shaped arm overlying the inner surface of the outer wall portion at the line of joinder of two frame members and abutting at its outer margin said lip and the other leg juxtaposing an arm of the corner bracket, and means securing the angle bracket and plate-like element together and to the frame members to form a rigid corner for the frame.

6. In a corner assembly for a window frame or the like having a pair of angularly related frame members meeting along juxtaposed edges and provided with an outer wall portion and an inwardly extending wall portion defining edges of a window opening with each frame having opposed angle bracket receiving channels, an angle bracket received in the channels in the frames and overlying the inwardly extending wall of each frame member at the intersection of the frame members, a plate-like element having angularly related arm portions each generally L-shaped in cross section and overlying the meeting edges of the frame members betweenthe outer and inwardly extending walls thereof with one leg of each L-shaped arm portion abutting the outer wall of the frame and the other leg abutting the angle bracket, and means securing the angle bracket and element together and to the frame members to form a rigid corner.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,973 Temple June 14, 1887 2,101,349 Sharpe Dec. 7, 1937 20 2,632,535 Clerk Mar. 24, 1953 

